# Chapter 68
“I didn’t know all along. I just thought something seemed strange and suspicious. But while receiving guiding from Yoon I-jae, I discovered something interesting.”
I glanced at the Center Director.
I wasn’t sure what it was, but it seemed like something interesting was about to happen.
And it seems my thought wasn’t wrong, as the Center Director suddenly stood up from his seat.
“I’ll vacate the office by tomorrow. I still need time to organize my belongings, so please give me a day. I’ll leave without any further conditions.”
The Center Director’s words only increased our curiosity.
No one paid attention to what the Center Director was saying and just stared at Cha Yoon.
Cha Yoon must have appreciated our attention.
“Since we’ve started, let’s finish what I was saying. The Center Director carried out a strange business using the Guides. He kept all the money for himself. Ah, he didn’t keep it all. He did slip some to the leadership. I guess he didn’t want to die alone in a situation like this. Those people probably didn’t know exactly what that money was.”
It seemed like something important had been mentioned, but it passed by so quickly that I couldn’t understand what was said.
“Strange business?”
When Ha-min asked, Cha Yoon nodded.
“Looking at Esper Ha-min, I thought he didn’t know about it, and it seems that’s really the case. It’s quite strange though. Esper Ha-min is special class, so why was he left out?”
From the tone of the conversation, it seemed like some kind of prostitution business using Guides.
When I stared at Cha Yoon, he continued.
“It seems to have worked well with people in politics and business. They had no shortage of money and power, but they were still ordinary people after all. They probably had an inferiority complex toward Espers. And they might have thought that guiding was a privilege only Espers could enjoy. They couldn’t receive guiding, but they could receive services from Guides. With the Center Director’s tacit approval. No, rather than tacit approval, should I call it active facilitation?”
The S-class Espers looked at Cha Yoon as if they found it unbelievable.
They seemed to think it was nonsense, but seeing Cha Yoon’s confident face, their gaze turned to the Center Director.
The Special Task Force members were the same.
They all looked at the Center Director with expressions that questioned how such a thing could happen.
Ha-min, even more incredulous, said to the Center Director:
“When Origin was just forming, wasn’t it a period when many dungeons were appearing and clearing them was difficult? There were Espers who died without receiving guiding because of the shortage of Guides. And you used those Guides like that?”
Ha-min seemed to desperately want to hear that it wasn’t true.
“Ha-min.”
Feeling like I needed to comfort him, I stroked Ha-min’s arm.
As Cha Yoon said, it was strange why Ha-min was excluded from this.
The Center Director had a blank expression, as if he never thought this matter would be revealed in front of so many people.
He might have been regretting not leaving the office earlier if he had known things would turn out this way.
“Most of those who left for Origin Central received Guides from the Center Director and probably thought they could continue to receive them in the new Central. I’m not sure if the Center Director authorized this. These are things I learned by piecing together information I found while scanning Yoon I-jae’s memories for fun. If I had more time, I could have confirmed more, but I’m glad it’s not too late. I think I’ve done well enough. Shouldn’t you praise me now?”
He’s definitely a strange one.
The S-class Espers looked at each other.
Then Shim Woo-jin asked Cha Yoon:
“Was this done without the Guides’ consent?”
“I don’t know about that. The Center Director would know.”
With that, everyone’s gaze fixed on the Center Director again.
“W-we got their consent… and paid them. Since the Guides were in poor circumstances, to help them earn some extra income…”
Even if that were true, using Guides who stayed at the Center to perform guiding for Espers for such purposes was unforgivable.
“But why didn’t you tell Ha-min?”
Unable to contain his curiosity, Cha Yoon finally asked.
“…”
The Center Director didn’t seem willing to answer, but Ha-min asked again.
“How could I say that to the dedicated Guide of an S-class Esper? He might have told the S-class Esper. Such an obvious thing.”
The Center Director seemed to feel wronged at having to answer that.
Looking at him, he really was a strange person.
The S-class Espers let out hollow laughs and shook their heads.
“Then I’ll… pack my things…”
Looking at the Center Director who seemed to be asking us to let him leave, Shim Woo-jin let out a small laugh.
“It seems you still don’t understand the situation. After leaving the office, your destination will be prison. You’ll stay there and come out when dungeons appear for clearing, then return to prison under the escort of the Special Task Force. Is your thinking different?”
“S-Shim Woo-jin Esper-nim. How can you say such things… This is still clearly a country under the rule of law with a separate judicial branch…”
“Then I don’t understand why we have the Special Task Force. Didn’t you just tell them to detain us?”
“On second thought, I don’t think I have anything to pack. I’ll be going now.”
The Center Director seemed to realize that staying there any longer would only make the situation worse and hurried.
We all looked at Cha Yoon.
We were wondering if it was okay to just let the Center Director go, but Cha Yoon had an amused expression.
“How about leaving the handling of the Center Director to me?”
“You mean you’ll handle it personally?”
When Kyun In asked, he nodded.
Cha Yoon handling it personally.
Whatever he did, it didn’t seem like it would result in anything more merciful than imprisonment.
“That would be much better. I deliberately didn’t say everything about what the Guides went through there, but I can guarantee that you won’t feel sorry for the Center Director no matter what happens to him.”
At those words, Kyun In nodded, and Cha Yoon left with a fresh smile.
“By the way, who’s the Information Team Leader?”
I asked, but even Kyun In shook his head.
The Special Task Force Leader quietly looked around and then left alone, while the Special Task Force members remained.
It seemed they had decided to make Ha-min the new Special Task Force Leader.
“Then who will be the Center Director?”
I asked excitedly, thinking this might be a new spectacle, and the S-class Espers looked at each other.
“Kyun In. You do it. Didn’t you want to do this kind of thing? That’s why you wanted to go to Origin too.”
At Shim Woo-jin’s words, I thought he was right, but contrary to expectations, Kyun In didn’t seem particularly interested in the Center Director position. Earlier when Tae-young said he would be the Center Director, I thought Kyun In looked disappointed, as if he wanted the position.
“I’m not interested, so one of you two should do it. Ah, what about Esper Seo Eunwoo? I think Esper Seo Eunwoo would also do well… Ah, no. Not that.”
“No, why not? I’m good at these things too. I just haven’t tried.”
“Oh my. Is that so?”
His tone, as if saying “how could that be,” started to irritate me, and the S-class Espers who saw this laughed as if they found it amusing.
“Eunwoo is really simple-minded, which makes him fun to watch. It’s too easy to make Eunwoo angry, right?”
I never thought I’d hear such words from Tae-young.
It was truly humiliating.
“I’ll just find out who the Information Team Leader is and do that job. Since that position has had no presence until now, it probably will continue to be that way.”
When I spoke, not wanting to get stuck with some position, the S-class Espers looked at me as if my scheme was obvious.
I guess I’ve been around these people for too long.
They know me too well.
“Anyway, I’m the Information Team Leader.”
“How will you contact the team members? Don’t you need to know where they are?”
Hearing Tae-young’s words, I had to admit he had a point.
“Cha Yoon seems to know the Information Team Leader, so try contacting him. It seems like we need to meet the Information Team Leader to resolve this. Don’t go alone though. Tell me before you go to meet. I’ll go with you.”
Tae-young spoke as if it was the most natural thing, and though I wanted to say there was no need, I did think it would be safer.
Although he said the command had been released, that was just Cha Yoon’s word, and we had no way of confirming if the command was really gone.
I would have preferred if Ha-min could go with me, but Ha-min had the same issue as me.
Moreover, since Ha-min wasn’t an S-class Esper now, there was a chance he might fall under Cha Yoon’s suggestion, so I couldn’t be completely assured.
Shim Woo-jin or Kyun In could also go with me instead of Tae-young, but it didn’t matter which S-class Esper went, so I nodded.
“Who will be the Guide Team Leader? Should we bring in someone else? Ah, my head hurts. Did we really make the right decision to do all this?”
Kyun In started complaining within an hour of taking over the Center Director’s office, but he was expressing what we all felt.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
